CTA Fares & Tickets

Fare chart

BASE/REGULAR FARES(as deducted from transit value loaded into in a Ventra transit account)

Full

Reduced

Student

'L' train fare

$2.50*

$1.25

$.75

Bus fare

2.25

1.10

.75

Transfer(up to 2 additional rides within 2 hrs)

.25

.15

.15

PASSES(load onto Ventra transit account)

Full

Reduced

CTA 1-Day Pass

$10

CTA 3-Day Pass

20

CTA 7-Day Pass

28

CTA/Pace 7-Day Pass

33

CTA/Pace 30-Day Pass

105

$50**

OTHER FARES

Full

Reduced

Student

'L' train fare from O'HareDeducted on entry at O'Hare station, only.

$5

$1.25

$.75

Bus fare with cash on busFare applies if using cash/coins directly at farebox when boarding. (Transfers are not available.)

2.50

1.25

.75

Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG)Fare applies if using personal contactless bankcard directly at reader when boarding buses or trains, if you haven't first added sufficient Ventra Transit Value or pass to card at vending machines.

Load fare to your transit account at the checkout at Ventra Retail Locations, just as you would at any vending machine, online or by phone.

Ways to pay

Cash

Cash can be used directly on buses and can be used at all Ventra vending machines to add value or passes to Ventra Cards or to buy disposable Ventra Tickets. You can also use cash to load value or passes at nearly 1,300 Ventra retailers. See the above chart for fare information.

Ventra Tickets

You can buy disposable paper Single-Ride and 1-Day tickets at vending machines (located in every 'L' station). See the above chart for fare information.

Ventra Cards

Ventra Cards are used with transit value and passes for regular fares and transfers. Fare you load to your Ventra Card's transit account can be seen and managed at vending machines, online, in the Ventra app and by phone.

New Ventra Cards can be purchased from vending machines at all 'L' (CTA rail) stations and at nearly 1,300 retail locations (including drugstores, currency exchanges and more). They can also be ordered online or by phone.

Using personal, contactless bankcards

Ventra can accept any bank-issued card in your wallet with the symbol to pay fare. You can pay a PAYG fare or visit a vending machine to load value and passes.

See the Ventra website for more information on how to pay fare with Ventra.

Android Pay, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay

Ventra readers can accept contactless payments directly from mobile devices, too! You can pay a PAYG fare by touching your phone with Android Pay, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay to any Ventra reader. Learn more about how it works.

Get the Ventra app!

The Ventra app lets you check your Ventra Card's balance, add value or passes, get arrival/departure times and account alerts in a quick and easy-to-use app. You can even use the fare value from your Ventra transit accounts to buy mobile tickets for riding Metra trains right in the app.